Posted on 01/23/2014 12:52:39 PM PST by mojito
Last week the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence issued its report on the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya. The report concluded that the attack, which resulted in the murder of four Americans, was "preventable." Some have been suggesting that the blame for this tragedy lies at least partly with Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed in the attack. This is untrue: The blame lies entirely with Washington.
The report states that retired Gen. Carter Ham, then-commander of the U.S. Africa Command (Africom) headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, twice offered to "sustain" the special forces security team in Tripoli and that Chris twice "declined." Since Chris cannot speak, I want to explain the reasons and timing for his responses to Gen. Ham. As the deputy chief of mission, I was kept informed by Chris or was present throughout the process.
On Aug. 1, 2012, the day after I arrived in Tripoli, Chris invited me to a video conference with Africom to discuss changing the mission of the U.S. Special Forces from protecting the U.S. Embassy and its personnel to training Libyan forces. This change in mission would result in the transfer of authority over the unit in Tripoli from Chris to Gen. Ham. In other words, the special forces would report to the Defense Department, not State.
Chris wanted the decision postponed but could not say so directly.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Like blaming the dead pilot.
This is a must-read article. Everybody who looks at this, don’t just glance at the first paragraph; read the whole article. It’s an eye-opener, and it names names (Patrick Kennedy, Leon Panetta).
Yep. Frequent Flyer Leon Panetta. Wouldn’t move his family to D.C., so he flew home on weekends. With a war going on.
One important point that comes out in the above article is that although Hicks had been stationed in Libya, knew Chris Stevens quite well and was there when all of this was going on, and could even name names and tell dates of meetings, none of these things appeared in the Senate report.
That’s why he went to the WSJ. This is a very important article.
I’d like to know where all the Bengazi witnesses are? Gizmo until they say what Hillary and Obama wants?
He goes to the defense of Amb Stevens but he didn't say why he was poking the bear with a stick.
I meant gitmo. My ipad changes my words if it doesn’t like them. Must be liberal.
Question: was there some kind of bad blood between Herself, the Cold & Joyless? That would explain “allowing” Ambassador Stevens to be in a high-risk locality, and then withdrawing any kind of security or extraction support.
It is not beyond the scope of Madame Benghazi to use such extremes to “nullify” an inconvenient person, remember Vince Foster or Jim McDougal. To all that may be learned of Chris Stevens’ personal philosophy, he was not generally in great disagreement with Herself, but he may have known something that reflected poorly on either the performance in office or of entanglements in what would be treasonous activity.
What difference, at this point, does it make?
I wonder how much blackmail we’re giving Al-Qaeda.
In Afghanistan, in Syria, in Libya, the answer is: "As much as we can get away with."
It will never go away. It was, and is, at least until it’s resolved, an international incident
Pundits and pols always refer to the victims as heroes or as Americans and that confuses people
They are ambassadors/embassy staff/ state dept workers on the job, killed in country, on duty
That’s the truth. The MEs know it, the Libyans know it
It won’t go away.
They figured Chris would talk if put under pressure so he became expendable when the mission went sideways.
If you saw the Movie, "Shooter" it's just like that. Once the clandestine mission is compromised, close up shop, deny any involvement and let those on the front line fend for themselves and/or die.
You've got to remember, these pukes making the decisions don't think like Patriots. They would never think that someone would come to the aid of the Ambassador or others in that compound, because if it were them they would have been on a plane after the first round was fired. Hitlary and Kennedy both know of security risks that is why Hitlary had a forward team come in before her visit in that part of the word.
In other news, Iraqi Air Force wipes out 25 ISIL terrorists in Anbar province...at 1:26
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twRKD4PEJ90
Tripoli rescue team told to stand down.
Hicks: Special Forces ‘Furious’ Upon Being Told to Stand Down video at link"According to Benghazi whistleblower Gregory Hicks, the deputy chief of mission in Libya, special forces were “furious” when they were told to stand down during the Benghazi attack. “I will quote Lieutenant Colonel Gibson,” Hicks told the House Oversight Committee in hearings today, “He said, ‘This is the first time in my career that a diplomat has more balls than somebody in the military.’”"
This might be considered a stand down too.
Whistle-blower: Botched talking points hurt FBI probe of Benghazi attack"Another whistle-blower questioned Wednesday why more military assets were not deployed sooner during the Benghazi terror attack. Mark Thompson, a former Marine and official with the State Department's Counterterrorism Bureau, said he was rebuffed by the White House when he asked for a specialized team -- known as a FEST team -- to be deployed. This is a unit made of special operations personnel, diplomatic security, intelligence and other officers."
Here is a third way a "stand down" policy was implemented IMO.
Blow-by-Blow: How Obama & Hillary Left Americans to Die"Nordstrom further testified in writing that Hillary Clinton waived security requirements for the Benghazi consulate despite high and critical threat levels in the six categories of security standards established under the Overseas Security Policy Board and the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act of 1999. The waiver can only be authorized by the Secretary of State, who cannot delegate that responsibility to someone else. ”If the Secretary of State did not waive these requirements, who did so by ordering occupancy of the facilities in Benghazi and Tripoli?” Nordstrom wrote."
bfl
Yes, it is!
"For some reason, my explanation did not make it into the Senate report." - Gregory Hicks
And the reason is ... The Senate report is a coverup!
Hillary was completely out of the loop and did whatever The Won told her to do. The fact that she seems to have had a lost weekend while all this was going on is proof of this. I don’t think she cared about Stevens or any of them one way or another, because all she has ever cared about is herself and what will promote her to another level. But she doesn’t want to work at it or oppose anyone, because for some reason, she feels it’s her right.
She was completely ineffective as SOS. All she ever did in the WH when her husband was President was stand by her man, whether it meant hiding or finding things (Rose firm billings) or just standing at his side smiling blandly. And that’s all she did as SOS for Obama, when Obama was her “man.”
Hillary was useless and I think she wants us to forget she was ever SOS.
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